Water, sewer options studied

Aldine Community Improvement District officials on Tuesday heard an engineering report on preparations to bring a water and sewer system to the area.

Eventual plans could include an option to tap into nearby facilities owned by the city of Houston, D. Ray Young of Water Engineers Inc. told district officials.

Bringing adequate water and sewage facilities to the 15-square-mile area, which includes 11,000 households, has been the district's top priority since it was created in August 2001.

The district launched a study on developing a water and sewer system after receiving a $445,000 grant from the Texas Water Development Board in September.

Young presented maps of the district's boundaries, existing water and sewer facilities and the area flood plain.

One of the project's goals is to determine how to best use existing facilities. Because Aldine is unincorporated, residents rely on wells, public utility districts and private companies.

One option for bringing water to Aldine is to use nearby facilities operated by the city of Houston, Young said. Houston recently built a 42-inch water line that runs parallel to Hirsch Road, one of the district's boundaries. A city-owned wastewater treatment plant also is nearby.

Houston is willing to work closely with the district to bring surface water and sewer facilities to Aldine, Young said.

The next phase of the project is to perform close inspections of existing water and sewer facilities in the district to check for health risks.

The study also will confirm projections on how much water the district will need in the next 10, 30 and 50 years.

"We are going to try to figure out something to meet the needs of everyone," Young said.

He expects the study will be completed by Dec. 31. It will include detailed plans of facilities that exist in individual neighborhoods, Young said.

In other news:

· District officials heard that CenterPoint Energy provided new street lights on Aldine Mail Route as part of a larger safety campaign in Aldine, including building sidewalks along the stretch of the route from Gloger Road to U.S. 59.

Engineers from Montgomery and Associates will present complete sidewalk plans to the board for approval at an upcoming meeting.

· Board member Art Murillo announced that the Metropolitan Transit Authority will host a community meeting at MacArthur High School on May 15 from 6-8 p.m. to discuss the new Metromobility system and plans for its expansion into the Aldine and surrounding area. Topics will include light rail and buses, Murillo said.